Waking the Witch

19 January to 23 March

The British Isles have a particularly strong relationship to magic and the occult with the chants of witchcraft echoing throughout their history. This exhibition looks to the importance of craft, ritual and land on the practice of the ever shifting figure of the witch.

Traditional witchcraft has a strong connection to the earth with an intimate knowledge of herbs, plants and the elements – as well as the human body. As gatekeepers to altered consciousness witches have been both feared and sought out for their dealings with the unknown. Historically persecuted as an outsider, the witch has been taken on by artists as a challenging force to prevailing norms and as a symbol of dissidence. Looking to symbols, tools and the coven as a space for focusing collective intent, the artists in this exhibition explore the path of the witch as one for how we can connect with the earth and each other.